Nineteen men and one woman were sworn in as probationary members of the department during a ceremony led by Mayor Mike Spano and Police Commissioner Charles Gardner inside the Yonkers Riverfront Library.

The recruits will now head off to the Westchester Police Academy in Valhalla for nearly half a year’s worth of training. After that, they will undergo another month of training with the Yonkers Police Department before heading out to the streets.

Police said the recruits are being hired to fill empty spots and projected vacancies within the department’s 602 member force.